General RPG DiscussionDiscussion of all RPGs and non-system-specific topics. DM/GM/player issues, settings, etc. Rules discussion belongs in one the forums below.
A secret I have for magic users is the rituals, working with the players to create items and objects. These are normally low level, have a risk to there creation, and are limited because of ritual rules. The fun thing about this is that you can design questionable spells for the players, like Healing Stone: This ritual is perfomed under the light of a full moon and places a number of wounds into a stone, for the recovery of points. The amount of wounds stored is of a creature killed in the ritual, note prey animals in the back of OWB. Casting is is 2xW+1 of creature (snake has W of 5, casting number is 11). Failure results in roll of 'blow to head' critical. Once points are depleted, stone is worthless.
Also, that Priest of Shallya is an Advanced Class also... so starting characters are out of luck!
In my game, I am kind of harsh. The Heal skill only heals 1-5 (d10/2, round up) W for a lightly wounded characters, and I increased the cost of Healing poultice (to 2 GP), and finally I only allow a character to get "Healing" once a day from one source (so the Heal check can only help you once a day, but Magical Healing can also help).
In my present game, we have one Journymen Wizard who has the Light Lore, so he can 'Heal' two points (Mag 2) and he also has the Heal skill (the ONLY one in the group to have it actually) so he can bring the group back pretty quick BUT he risks a lot (and has the Wizard marks to prove it ) and also if he ever goes down the group is really out of luck.
__________________ "life is pain princess, anyone telling your different is selling something"
well played this for the first time in ages (see posts above) the other day
roll up for fairly easy. not 100% on how advancement works, but will sort that out as it becomes important
random stat rolling seemed ok, except party mercanery had v low WS and S.
we played the scenario in the back of the main book. Combat looks like it could get complicated but we did it ok, and it seemed no faster/slower/lethal/less lethal than D&D.
i played an apprentice wizard (with only 22 fellowship, so fun to play)
Gameworld seemed ok.
we have banned the words 'snotling, gobbos and orc boyz' and are pretending things dont look so cartoony.
cast 4 magic bolts and a few easier spells. No problems
If You choose to be a fire mage, then 2 fireballs will cause a problem.. to Your opponents. It's the perfect way to get rid of an enemy spellcaster. 2 fireballs almost always do the job in one round. And I don't speak of 3 or 4 of them. Now I see why bright wizards are so valuable on the battfield. Our party's mage is like a cannon... and he often rolls the Fury rule. Madness! (he has only one Insanity Point, had the minor Tzeentch curse only once... though he casts tons of spells). He killed a river troll with one fireball spell. Now the GM has to remind him that this is not the DnD game and he is not all powerful. My priest of Ranald is a man of charm... though his crossbow can deal some damage.
You are a little too harsh. 1d10 is fine... 5 on average only.
Well note I only do that for the Heal skill... any Shallya healing would be the full 1d10. So far it has worked good for us...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Elsenrail
And the elixirs... they can do. And they aren't so rare. Simply go to a large city and buy all that are in stock before another adventure.
Yes very true. They also tend to carry around a lot of Healing Daughts (Heals 4 W for a lightly wounded character)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Elsenrail
However, a party made of: a priest of Sigmar, a priestess of Shallya, a White Wizard... is a healing machine... and pretty effective in combat.
Super-duper true, but those are all Advanced Classes also... the Journeyman Wizard can gets his minor Healing in his Second Career, while the Priests also have a fairly mild healing in their second careers and those of Shallya don't get the big healing until their 3rd Career... it can take a while.
In the game I am running we just had our 12th game, and the group has gotten 1,800XP (I tend to give a base 150 per game just because). They are a ways off from their 3rd careers. Right now we have a Journeymen Wizard (ex-apprentice), a Dwarf Scout (ex-Hunter) and a Human Knight (ex-Squire). Everyone has burned at least 1 fate point, but only one of them is even half way close to getting Insanity...
They started out working for some minor Merchant (looking for lost sheep, seeking stolen property, protecting her from racketeers, etc) but now that the Wizard has made Journeymen status, he has a Wizard Master who has been sending him out on missions.
__________________ "life is pain princess, anyone telling your different is selling something"
My priest of Ranald is a man of charm... though his crossbow can deal some damage.
I love that a crossbow is dangerous in this game and that when one is pointed at you, you don't just laugh at the 1d8 damage dice it does (+1 extra for Point Blank if you have the feat). Don't get me wrong, I still love D&D... I am just having a darn good time with WH
__________________ "life is pain princess, anyone telling your different is selling something"
I have the same feeling. In DnD level 10 you laugh at 5 men with crossbows aiming at you. In WFRP you surrender*. Just like in reality.
*except for a dragon slayer/Grail Knight with max TB in full plate armor (gromril even), but such PC's are heroes of the Old World. If You have got a gromril full plate armor, magic weapon with some nice runes and You are a Grail Knigh with some fine blessings You can take a stand against a giant by yourself (with some big luck kill a greater demon). But that characters are legendary.
ug ... you're kidding, right? those usages are actually in the main book? that sounds none too grim and gritty to me.
Don't laugh, I once had a PC beaten to pulp by Snotlings.
One of the strengths of WFRP is that, although it is certainly grim and gritty, it's not so portentous and dark-for-dark's-sake that it doesn't have a sense of humour. There's a reason that Ken Hite quote compares it to Pratchett.
Don't laugh, I once had a PC beaten to pulp by Snotlings.
One of the strengths of WFRP is that, although it is certainly grim and gritty, it's not so portentous and dark-for-dark's-sake that it doesn't have a sense of humour. There's a reason that Ken Hite quote compares it to Pratchett.
In a way, I like that aspect of it, because it reminds me of some of the more wild things Gary used to put in D&D way back when. Keep in mind that the Orcs and Goblins are the ones who typically use terms like "Gobbos" and "Boyz" (I've seen some Warhammer Fiction that has Dwarves using it, but I don't think that's common) and Humans most typically use "Greenskin" for all the Orcs, Goblins, etc. I do like its darker turns of humor.
__________________ "Conversely, I'm amazed at the number of people queueing up to tell people that don't like 4e that they are wrong. Why can't people just agree to disagree, and get on with actually playing the game?" --Delericho
If there's one dragon, it's a solo monster.
If there's five dragons, they're standard monsters.
If there's a dozen dragons, either most of them are minions or your DM is tired of the campaign.
--Lizard
In a way, I like that aspect of it, because it reminds me of some of the more wild things Gary used to put in D&D way back when. Keep in mind that the Orcs and Goblins are the ones who typically use terms like "Gobbos" and "Boyz" (I've seen some Warhammer Fiction that has Dwarves using it, but I don't think that's common) and Humans most typically use "Greenskin" for all the Orcs, Goblins, etc. I do like its darker turns of humor.
That actually makes it a lot more realistic (not in a mechanical sense, where I really have no interest in realism) for me, since having some opprobrious, and often amusing, names for one's enemies is quite common operating procedure for most cultures historically. Since WHFR does seek to run fairly close to a medieval/renaissance feel, it seems quite fitting.
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What I hate (actually love) about the Greenskins... is that they are so tough. A few orks can devastate an unprepared party. Especially the iron orks from Parravon (10 damage reduction = 5 TB, 5 plate armor). Fortunately, they are not intelligent even among orks... so some spells that affect mind can be useful.
P.S. What I really like is that the wizards don't have spells like stoneskin etc. flying, protection from missles, enhanced invisibility (almost every mage knows them) etc. which make them a superpower on higher levels (they can easily wipe out a fighter of the same level). In WFRP a wizard has to remeber that - like in the movie "The Two Towers" the fighter must be quick to kill him... but if they are quick enough, he's dead.
Of course I wonder what will the High Magic Lore look like in the elves book. 2008? probably (people on their forums demanded a book about the elves and they said they would do it)
Don't laugh, I once had a PC beaten to pulp by Snotlings.
One of the strengths of WFRP is that, although it is certainly grim and gritty, it's not so portentous and dark-for-dark's-sake that it doesn't have a sense of humour. There's a reason that Ken Hite quote compares it to Pratchett.
Agree, my players believe you have to destroy a snotling nest as soon as possible because they have been over run by them.
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All I need is minions and I would rule the world.
For those of you worried about Fate Points making things "easy" on the players. Read the section in the book about GM-ing their use. Just because a PC isn't killed, doesn't mean they get away scot-free.
Examples of adjudicating a Fate Point include anything from "The PC is knocked unconscious and out of the fight." to "His inert form is dragged off, stripped of all useful gear, bound and gagged as a prisoner and left in a cellar awaiting a horrific ritual that turn him into a mutant."
Also, players should see maybe 1 new Fate Point only after accomplishing something major! Like stopping a demon from destroying a city. Rescuing the peasant from beastmen doesn't get you another FP. I'd say every 6 months or year of game play might see a character getting a new FP. They'll probably never have again as many as they had at start of play.
__________________ "Green Explosions? People flying in and out? That was NOT real and I wanna talk to the cops!" -Jack Burton, BTLC
If You choose to be a fire mage, then 2 fireballs will cause a problem.. to Your opponents. It's the perfect way to get rid of an enemy spellcaster. 2 fireballs almost always do the job in one round. And I don't speak of 3 or 4 of them. Now I see why bright wizards are so valuable on the battfield. Our party's mage is like a cannon... and he often rolls the Fury rule. Madness! (he has only one Insanity Point, had the minor Tzeentch curse only once... though he casts tons of spells). He killed a river troll with one fireball spell. Now the GM has to remind him that this is not the DnD game and he is not all powerful. My priest of Ranald is a man of charm... though his crossbow can deal some damage.
Your party mage is very lucky...so far!
Wait until Tzeentch sets his eye on him and he ends with major curse!
Or until some Withhunters decide to ignore that he is from a collegue and feed him his own fire.
Back in 1ed I had nice little Dwarven judical Champion who killed Black Orcs without sweat before Breakfast. Used to taunt the Gamesmaster...
Then he and his group went against the Skaven and things went downhill.
In the end even his 3 Arms and 2nd Head (aquired on the way, thank you warpstone)couldn't help him against Clan Moulders Beasties.
See, this is warhammer. Nothing bad happend yet, but it surely will if the dice forsake your wizard player or the DM gets fed up with his monsters being burned to cinders.
__________________ Caedite eos! Novit enim Orcus qui sunt eius
Caesarius of Everlost
(answer to the question how one should identify a demon tainted by Kiaransalee. Asked by Tharen the Damned at the siege of Naratyr)